Could bird-spotting be Riverland's next big event?

Destination Riverland general manager Tony Sharley said the Riverland already boasted more than 160 events and that showcasing the natural landscape, recreational facilities and local industries would enhance its tourism profile.

"We used to have a fabulous Riverland Golf Week, there's not a lot happening in that space at the moment but with five magnificent golf courses that are relatively under-utilised, with some support in that area it would be a fabulous opportunity," he said.

His comments follow an event management forum at Berri this week, which attracted about 20 operators.

The forum was hosted by Destination Riverland and the South Australian Tourism Commission [SATC].

Mr Sharley said the regional tourism body, which was launched last year, had identified events which could be successful in the region if operators were willing to host them.

"Just imagine having a regional fishing competition event that ran over a few weekends and brought in the major towns," he said.

"Even a bird watching event, see how many birds you can spot in a weekend, which is all the range in European countries."

Industry-based celebrations such as the reintroduction of a citrus festival would complement other food and wine based events.

Mr Sharley said Destination Riverland and the SATC had the capacity to 'road-test' event ideas with consumers and offer marketing support, but that operators needed to take ownership of them.

"At the end of the day we are there as an organisation to support groups and organisers who want to take on an event," he said.

New website launch

Destination Riverland will launch a new regional tourism website in August, featuring an events calendar and the marketing slogan 'get some South Australian river time'.

Tourism operators at this week's Berri forum called for a members-only section of the website with a 'clash calendar' for organisers to set tentative dates for events.

"We don't want to have carols by candlelight in three towns on the same night," one operator said.

"Often you don't put out the date of your event until you have everything locked in stone, when it's too late to change."

Mr Sharley said the website would be a useful resource for tourism operators.

"The website is a perfect opportunity for people to have a bit of a discussion on there about similar sorts of events and experiences they are having, common issues and challenges and sharing the lessons learnt," he said.

Learning from each other

Mr Sharley said there were natural clusters of events in the Riverland that could provide opportunities for operators to collaborate.

He said among the region's 160 events, 16 were motoring, four-wheel driving and adventure based.

By working together they could tap into marketing opportunities on a broader scale.

"Believe it or not, small and local is a good formula for success because it keeps the passion and ownership with that small club or interest group, but where there's a similarity - we are not suggesting they all merge - they could get together and talk about how they promote those events."